Patent GB-190117851-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Typesetting & Justifying Machines
Filed: 1901-09-06
Granted: 1902-09-04
Abstract: 17,851. Dow Composing Machine Co., and Dow, A. Sept. 6. Type, setting. - Relates to type setting and justifying machines. The composing-machine, in connection with which the justifying-mechanism is described, is described in Specification No. 23,722 A.D. 1899. In the operation of composing the types, false spaces are introduced between the words by operating a space key. The operations of various parts of the justifying-mechanism are controlled in accordance with the number of words in each line, partly by the operations of the space key and partly by the false spaces in the line. When a line is composed, a line key is depressed to start the justifying-mechanism, which operates on one line while another line is being composed. The types as they are composed are collected in a vertical channel, the lower part of which constitutes a pivoted stick, down into which the line is pushed when the line key is operated. The pivoted stick is then turned into horizontal position, and the line is pushed out of it into a line-carrier reciprocating in a horizontal raceway. Fig. 91 shows a diagrammatic plan view of the parts of the machine by which the line is measured, the excess or shortage divided by the number of spaces in the line, and the space-ejecting carriage preliminarily set for ejecting the required size or sizes of spaces. As the line is pushed from the pivoted stick into the line-carrier, it engages the calliper head 385, which has been moved up through a slot in the line-carrier, and the line is measured between this head 385 and a dog 332 which springs up into engagement behind the line. The head 385 is on a slide, and is connected by links and levers 398, 405, &c. to a measuring-head on a slide 407. The slide 407 is thereby set according to the length of the unjustified line and false spaces therein, and is locked in position until the dividing-mechanism has been operated. The dividing- mechanism consists of a series of horizontal plates 113 having inclined, edges, and fixed parallel to each other in a sliding carriage 112. The inclination of the edges of the successive plates 113 increases, as shown by the dotted lines, one plate only being used for the justification of each line, that plate having an angle of inclination corresponding with the number of spaces in the line. At each operation of the space key, mechanism is actuated through which a part 111 sliding vertically in the carriage 112 and carrying the plates 113, is moved up a step. This brings the plate 113, having the proper inclination for the line composed, into the position for engaging the measuring-head on the slide 407. The carriage 112 is driven in until the inclined edge of the plate engages the head, and through gearing 116, 119, 120 moves a rod 121 having adjustable nuts 300 which engage and move the ejecting-carriage 234 in its guide-way 235. The carriage 234 is locked in its set position while the settiug-mechanism is returned to initial position, and is then released to be further operated during the justification of the line. The spaces to be ejected and inserted in the line in place of the false spaces are contained in parallel channels 210, 211 .... 219 arranged in order of the sizes of the spaces. The space channels are set at equal distances apart, and the ejector carriage 234 after being preliminarily set by the carriage 112 is fed forward in steps, one step for each ejection of a space, the total distance of these intermittent movements being equal to the distance between two space channels, and the number of intermittent movements being eqnal to the number of words in the line. If the plate 113, when moved in, engages the measuring-head at one of the divisions of the scale shown thereon, the ejector carriage 234 is so set that one size of space only, corresponding to that division of the scale, is ejected, the stepping movements of the carriage taking place within the zone of one space channel. When, however, the measuring - head engages between two divisions of the scale, the stepping movements of the carriage 234 take place partly in the zone of one channel and partly in that of the next channel containing larger size space, so that a certain number of each of the two sizes of spaces are ejected and placed in the line. In order that the total distance of the step-by-step movement of the carriage may be the same for all lines whatever the number of words may be, the distance of the individual step movements is varied in accordance with the number of words in the line. This is effected by the use of a series of cams having different eccentricities, and equal in number to the plates 113. The cams are arranged side by side on a shaft, and are moved by a carriage which is set for each line so as to bring the proper cam into position for giving the stepping movements to the ejector carriage. The cam carriage is set for each line by mechanism controlled by the number of operations of the space key. It will be seen from Fig. 91 that a false space is placed at the rear end of the line and, to compensate for this, the carriage 234 makes one step forward before the ejection of spaces commences. The plates 113 are so arranged that the vertical planes through their inclined edges intersect at the point 70 of the scale, so that at this point they are all in the same vertical line, and whichever plate is in operative position the same size of space is ejected. This point 70 corresponds with the normal or justified line, and the spaces ejected are of the same thickness as the false spaces. The points on the scale below the point 70 represent spaces of smaller size than the false spaces, and the points beyond 70 spaces larger than the false spaces. In the ejector carriage 254 is a slide 237, having pivoted therein a dog 239 pressed to one side by a spring. The slide 237 is reciprocated, to eject the spaces, by a reciprocating slide having a slot 206 engaging a pin 238 on the slide 237. The slot 206 is sufficiently long to engage the pin 238 in any position of the carriage 254. The end of the dog 239 engages projections on slides 230 carrying blades 231 which eject the spaces singly, from the channels, on to a raceway 209. The slides 230 are shown numbered 30, 35, 40, &c. to correspond with the scale on the plates 113. On the dog 239 is a knife-edged projection 241, which engages fixed knife-edged guides 242 as the carriage 234 passes from one space zone to another, so as always to cause the dog to properly engage the projection on one of the slides 230. After the line has been measured, the calliper head 385 moves down out of the path of the line-carrier, and the latter is then moved with the line therein to the opposite end of a line raceway. An auxiliary line-pusher engages behind the line and presses the first word and the adjacent false space on to a word-lifter, and this pusher presses the line until each word has been separated and lifted singly. The line is stopped when a word and one false space has passed on to the lifter by a pair of wards engaging the false space. The types are nicked to pass over these wards. The lifted word is moved by a slide along the word raceway 209. and each word except the first carries an ejected space in front of it into the galley. The false space in rear of the word is ejected, when the word has been placed in the galley, by an ejector which moves forward then sideways to engage the false space, then backwards to withdraw the false space, and then again sideways to press the false space into its channel or receptacle. The false space at the rear end of the line acts to engage the wards and stop the last word in position on the word-lifter. The justified line is supported by a sliding plate which is withdrawn from under the line, and the latter then pressed down into the galley on to the lines previously justified. The column of types is supported in the galley by a removable friction slide. As the line is pushed into the galley, it engages and moves a spring-pressed follower which operates a line key lock by which the operation of the line key for the justification of another line is prevented unless the previously-justified line, in the mouth of the galley, is the proper length and correctly justified. At each depression of the line key a clutch is operated which causes a line shaft to be driven through a revolution from the driving-shaft of the machine. On this line shaft are cams which operate or control the line depresser by which the composed line is pushed down into the pivoted stick, the line-pusher, the line-carrier, the calliper head 385, the pivoted stick, the return of the ejector carriage 234, the locking-mechanism of the measuring-slide 407, the carriage 112, the means for locking the ejector carriage 234 during the withdrawal of the carriage 112, the slide for moving the cams by which the ejector carriage is stepped forward at each insertion of a space, the galley plate, and depressor. The line shaft also operates to start a word shaft which is driven through a number of revolutions equal to the number of words in the line being justified. The number of revolutions of this word shaft are determined by an arrangement of mechanism which is set by the operations of the space key, and this mechanism is duplicated so that one stopping-arrangement may be set during the composition of a line while the other, which has been set for the previous line, is in operation. This mechanism is shifted for each line by a cam on the line shaft &c. The word shaft operates or controls mechanism by which the auxiliary line-pusher is urged forward, the word-lifter, the word-pusher, the shaft of the cams by which the ejector carriage is stepped forward, and the false space extractor.